San Bernardino

A:

San Bernardino County school districts will have to shed an estimated $400 million when the first dollar goes into Proposition 2's School Account. This will force the reduction of San Bernardino school districts' local carryover funds from an average of 19% now, to just 6%. The largest districts, San Bernardino City and Fontana Unified, will be allowed just 4%, while most districts can carry only 6%.

Compare these allowed carryovers with California Department of Education and Government Finance Officers Association recommendations of 15-17% in reserves -- and the state's late payments to schools in all recent fiscal years. San Bernardino County schools will be allowed to carry just $160 million forward -- yet the State had not paid San Bernardino districts $288 million it owed them just this June 30th (two years after Prop 30 passed). $160 million is peanuts compared with the $722 million the State owed them in June 2012 and the $427 million in June 2013.

Note that eight of the districts are shown in red because the California Department of Education "qualified" its certification of these districts' financial condition during some or all of the 2012-2014 period. Despite their challenged financial state, these financially challenged districts will have to spend over $20 million of their ongoing operating funds when the State's "school savings account" receives any deposits. Note also that the average reserves carried by these districts is just 8%, while the healthier districts carry an average of 21%.